The Way it Was
by P3forlife
Summary: Set after Season 8. Cole helps turn the Charmed Ones around and start vanquishing evil again.
1. Chapter 1

The Way it Was

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

A/N: Well...this is my first fic in about a year. Please tell me what you think. I'll be happy to read some constructive criticism!

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Phoebe Halliwell sat back in the wooden chair of the Halliwell kitchen. It was a sunny, normal, weekday. The house was empty; the sisters, Leo, and Coop all had work to do. Piper had dropped the boys off at daycare, as usual. Phoebe usually spent this time to think about how to answer the readers of "Ask Phoebe", her advice column. Today, however, she was thinking back on her experiences as a witch and saving Innocents. She somehow missed those stressful days of vanquishing evil and sisterly bonding. Even though she lost loved ones to evil, namely her sister Prue, she could not forget the reward of helping so many people.

'Maybe I'm just being selfish,' she thought. 'All I ever wanted was a normal life and now I have one...but at the cost of leaving Innocents to evil? I know what it's like to lose someone I care about, which is even more reason to help others...but don't I deserve a normal life? I mean, I earned it, and I want to be there for my family and my future children. Is there something wrong with that?' She was confused more than anything, split between two desires. She buried her face in her hands and suddenly remembered the time of her first engagement to Cole. Like now, she could not decide whether to marry him or not, and cast a spell. Unpredictably, her past and future selves appeared and eventually lead her to decide on the marriage.

'Maybe I could do something similar to that spell and ask to reveal what I really want,' she thought. She got up from the chair and walked upstairs to the attic. It was a while since she had been up in the room, and Paige had "fashionably" organized it to her liking. Paige was the only regular to use the Book of Shadows and the attic for teaching her charges. Phoebe walked over to the messy table, grabbed a notepad and paper and started brainstorming for a spell. Whatever she could do, it was worth a try.

'I never knew my indecision about marriage would actually come in handy,' she thought. 'Then again, I only got hurt in the end by Cole. I was so stupid...got caught up in the thrill of being in love...how could I be so blind...'

She scratched her head and turned her attention to the spell. After fifteen minutes or so, she was satisfied, but did not know what to expect. Maybe it would summon her future and past selves again, or the Angel of Destiny? Or an Elder? Phoebe decided to prepare for it and cleared some of the clutter on the ground. She then placed candles in a circle and lit them. Stepping out of the circle, she took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, here goes nothing,' and read:

_Come, spirits, let me see_

_What my innermost desire be_

_Whether to fulfill my destiny_

_As a witch _

_Or to lead a normal life_

_Show me the way _

_And I will be at peace from this day._

All of a sudden, a wind appeared, swirling around the center of the candle-lit area. When it stopped, Phoebe was shocked to see whom she had summoned.

It was Cole.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

A/N: Hope you enjoy it! I know the chapter's a bit short, but on the bright side, reading it will be easier. Please tell me what you think!

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"You called, Phoebe?" Cole asked, casually. He had his hands in his pant pockets and seemed to expect his ex-wife's summoning. "I thought it was about time your conscience would kick in."

Phoebe backed away. "Get away from me! I trusted you for way too long, only to put my sisters and I in danger. I'm definitely not falling for it again."

Cole was not surprised at all. "Well, considering that all I have been worrying about is you since I died, I think I fit the description for 'desire revealer'."

"Oh yeah? And what did you do during that time?"

"Actually, I helped bring Piper and Leo back together when the Elders were trying to punish them. You see, Piper was stuck between life and death and we decided to return her spirit back into her body, making the last dying cry that any lover would hear. I was there. I knew that Piper and Leo's love would make you not give up on your own."

"Why, thank you, Cole, you absolutely redeemed yourself!" Phoebe added, sarcastically.

Cole ignored that comment. "Technically, I am supposed to be caught in-between the two sides, them not deciding whether I am good or evil. They punished me, depriving me of love forever. So, here is my spirit, never able to rest in peace, trying to bust my butt to make you happy, and this is how you repay me?"

"Can I ever trust you, Cole? Can anyone ever trust you? Since I met you, I had to face you as a demon..."

"Half-demon."

"Fine...half-demon, the Source of all Evil, and then you coming back from the Wasteland and what not...not to mention I was Queen of the Underworld and had to bear your demonic spawn. How do you expect me to even give you an ounce of sympathy?"

"Because I care about you. Even though our feelings may not be the same, I still deeply care about you. And you know that. I know you do."

"Cole, I'm married now. Accept it before you drive me crazy."

"Phoebe...I don't think you're getting the point here. I care about you as a person, not a lover. Feelings change, or fade, or whatever...but the bond, the friendship, is still there. I'm worried about you and your sisters because you're not the Charmed Ones anymore. So much for being all-powerful when you give up and take the easy way out."

Phoebe opened her mouth and closed it. She knew he had a point and there was no use arguing. What was the use of being charmed if she gave in to the fight for an easier life? Isn't that what life is all about? Thoughts raced across her head,confusing her...Cole coming back...the summoning...what she really wanted...

"I...I...need a glass of water," she said, her voice shaking. She rushed downstairs, thinking that when she would come back, her destiny would need to be decided.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, in case you were wondering...

A/N: This chapter attempts to illustrate some of Phoebe's confusion and the burden on her shoulders; it's her emotional breakdown and the beginning of her "quest for the truth"...

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"I don't know what's wrong with me, Cole," Phoebe said, tears beginning to glisten at the corners of her eyes. She and her ex-husband were in the living room, sitting on the two ends of the sofa. Somehow, Phoebe still felt she could open up to him. Besides, Cole was one of the people who knew her best...when he was alive, anyway. "All those years of witchcraft finally put aside for a better life? I knew something wasn't right with this from the beginning. I knew I was just being selfish. Of course my sisters said it was the right thing to do because they wanted this just as bad as I did. I guess I 'deserved' it...But how could I want to throw away my heritage, my destiny?"

Cole was empathetic towards her. "It's never easy, isn't it? Never has been." He grabbed a tissue from a tissue box and handed it to her. "There were lots of times when I didn't know what to do...didn't know what was best or whether anything was worth it. Like sometimes I think if I had not given up my powers, I never would have become the Source."

"But you still did," Phoebe responded.

"I still did, and if I had not, it would have saved you and I a lot of trouble...but it doesn't work that way. Life is so complicated and things happen but we can't change them. I know you went through a lot of hardships as a witch, but I also know that you love your powers and wouldn't really want to give them up. It's just sometimes, we've had enough with all the wrong in the world and want to get away from it...that's normal..."

Phoebe nodded. "There's nothing bad about that, right? Which is why it's so confusing. Both ways seem like the right thing to do and I want both equally." She took a small sip of water and blew her nose.

"I understand that, Phoebe, but I think you need to be reminded of all the good you have done. At the end of the day, what matters most is that you saved so many people's lives and prevented evil from getting more victims. That's what counts."

She gave a small laugh. "Don't tell me that, Cole. That's what everybody says."

"It's the truth."

"Well so what if it is the truth! I don't know anymore. Is it worth risking my life when I know that I'll probably just lose another sister or die myself? Is there any point to any of this? I know I help people, but the work just consumes me! Why can't I just stick with my advice columnist job and avoid all of this? Why does it have to be this way?" Her sobbing started becoming uncontrollable. It was like all of the worries she had on this issue was all coming down in big, wet tears. After a little while of calming down, she felt bad for Cole and added, "I'm sorry for that outburst. I'm just really confused about everything."

Cole remained calm, as it was in his nature. He moved closer to the Halliwell sister and put his hand on her knee. "Phoebe, there are a lot of things I am unsure about, but one thing I know is that things happen for a reason. In fact, you taught me that. And I know that you didn't become a witch by accident. You were meant to do great things and save Innocents. It may be hard and rough at times, but if you don't save this world, nobody else as powerful as you will."

"You're starting to sound like Grams," Phoebe said, slightly frustrated.

"Well then, your Grams was a smart woman," Cole replied, smiling.

Phoebe shook her head, as if shaking off this fact, and said, "I don't know, Cole. I just think if my sisters and I die, there won't even be another generation of Halliwells, so who's going to do all the demon fighting then? All of my efforts would be for nothing."

"Well, for a fact, I have never met anybody who has saved the world as many times as you and your sisters did. What would become of everybody if you and your sisters had not prevented the Apocalypse? What would happen if the Source were still alive? Phoebe, your efforts made a world of difference, so don't tell me that it was all a waste," Cole responded gently.

Phoebe sat there and thought for a while. She felt reassured, but it still did not resolve the conflict that was taking place inside of her. Whatever decision she would make, she would only second-doubt herself, which was why she had been struggling with this for so long. "How can I be sure I make the right decision?" she asked. "How can I be sure I will be at peace with myself?"

At this question, Cole got up from the sofa. "Well, I think we're just in time to meet someone." He held out his hand towards Phoebe. "Shall we go to the attic?" Cautiously and with curiosity, the Halliwell sister took his hand and was led up to the old witchcraft room. There, she faced a familiar character.

"Perfect timing," the white-haired man said with asmile on his face. She recognized who he was: the Angel of Destiny the Charmed Ones had met four years ago with the invitation to relinquish their powers.


End file.
